7K Same-Sex Couples Tie the Knot in France Since May

Approximately 7,000 same-sex couples have married in France last year after the country legalized gay marriage in May, according to a report released Thursday by the national statics agency, AFP reports.

According to Insee statistics, same-sex unions made up about three percent of the total number of 238,000 marriages registered in France last year. The report also found that three out of every five same-sex marriages involved male couples.

The average age same-sex male couple married was 50, while it was 43 for women. For straight men it was 37 and for straight women, 34.

France’s Socialist President Francois Hollande legalized same-sex marriage last year after months of intense and violent debates leading up to the bill being signed into law. Hollande faced severe backlash from conservatives and leaders from the Catholic Church, who stood strong against marriage equality.

The first same-sex marriage in France was on May 29 in the southern gay-friendly city of Montpellier.

Despite the marriages, conservatives against LGBT rights continue to oppose the measure, with some politicians citing that it violates France’s constitution.